Science - Building & Materials Unit- overview

Title: Building and Materials

1.  What is our purpose?

To inquire into the following:

·          main idea

Building materials and structure designs impact human societies.

Project-based summative assessment task(s):

What are the possible ways of assessing students’ understanding of the main idea? What evidence, including student-initiated actions, will we look for?

Make a poster for an object that labels the materials used to make the object, lists properties of the materials specific to the object, fasteners used, and possible tools used to make the object.

Evidence: (A rubric is provided) Obvious materials have been listed. Properties for the materials have been listed. Possible fasteners and tools have been listed.

Plan and create/build a structure. Students make a plan for a structure that would be useful in society (using a variety of materials provided and shown prior to planning). Students build the structure within a given time frame and with certain requirements (for size, number of materials, fasteners, etc.) and do a reflection on the structure after it is built.

Evidence: Students complete a design/plan that will be reasonable to build with the materials and time allowed. Students use ideas of shape, stability and would be “useable” in the real world. The answers provided in the reflection indicate that the child has some understanding of the design, purpose, materials, and use of the structure as it is and in the “real world”.

Create a piece of artwork that shows a structure in our society. An art drawing portrays an actual structure in society and a statement tells how or why it is useful.

Evidence: A piece of art shows a useful structure in society. A statement is given about the use of the structure.

 What do we want to learn?

What are the concepts to be emphasized within this inquiry?

·          Form, Function

·         Related Concepts: Structure, Design, Properties

What lines of inquiry will define the main idea?

·          Structures are built to benefit human societies

·          Properties of materials affect strength and stability of structures

·           Structures are built for a purpose and need a design to make it happen.

What teacher questions will drive these inquiries?

·          What are common structures used in human societies and for what purpose?

·          What are the properties of common building materials and how do the properties affect strength / stability of structures?

·         What is the function of design in structures?